Christopher Hitchens

Date of Birth: April 13, 1949

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Date of Death: December 15, 2011

Biography

Christopher Hitchens was a British-American author, journalist, and literary critic, renowned for his sharp intellect, wit, and thorough analysis of politics, religion, and literature. Born in Portsmouth, England, Hitchens attended Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied philosophy, politics, and economics. He began his career as a journalist and essayist in Britain before moving to the United States in 1981. Hitchens wrote for various prestigious publications, including Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, and Slate. He was known for his contrarian views and his willingness to critique both the left and the right. Among his most famous works are “God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything,” “Hitch-22: A Memoir,” and “The Trial of Henry Kissinger.” Hitchens was an outspoken atheist and a proponent of secular humanism. His debates on religion, politics, and ethics made him a prominent public intellectual. He passed away on December 15, 2011, after a battle with esophageal cancer.

5 Interesting Facts about Christopher Hitchens

1. Christopher Hitchens was a close friend of author Salman Rushdie and famously defended him during the fatwa issued by Ayatollah Khomeini.

2. He was a vocal critic of Mother Teresa, calling her a “fanatic, a fundamentalist, and a fraud” in his book “The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice.”

3. Hitchens became a naturalized American citizen on April 13, 2007, his 58th birthday.

4. Despite his atheism, he was known to have a profound appreciation for the King James Bible and its literary qualities.

5. He was a prolific debater, having engaged in public debates with religious figures like William Lane Craig and Dinesh D’Souza.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Christopher Hitchens

1. “That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

2. “The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.”

3. “Take the risk of thinking for yourself, much more happiness, truth, beauty, and wisdom will come to you that way.”

4. “Religion is not the belief there is a God. Religion is the belief that God tells you what to do.”

5. “To terrify children with the image of hell, to consider women an inferior creation—is that good for the world?”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

At the time of his death, Christopher Hitchens’ net worth was estimated to be around $4 million.

Children

Christopher Hitchens had three children: Alexander and Sophia Hitchens from his first marriage to Eleni Meleagrou, and Antonia Hitchens from his second marriage to Carol Blue.